Aldi and Lidl are dominant players in the UK's value grocery market. In recent weeks, Lidl announced a £250 million investment to reduce prices on more than 1,000 products, while Aldi followed with a £100 million investment to cut prices across 330 items.

As both retailers continue to invest heavily in providing the best value, new YouGov BrandIndex data examines how Gen Z consumers perceive the two brands in 2026.

Gen Z is where the value battle is closest

Aldi leads Lidl on perceptions of value for money across all generations, but its advantage is narrowest among Gen Z. Between January and July 2026, Aldi recorded a Value score of 56 among Gen Z adults, compared with 55 for Lidl – a gap of just one point in net score.

By comparison, Aldi's lead is wider among Millennials (56 vs. 50), Gen X (52 vs. 48) and Baby Boomers+ (49 vs. 46). With little separating the two discounters among Britain's youngest adult consumers, we take a closer look at how the battle for Gen Z's value crown has played out over the course of 2026.

Aldi vs. Lidl: The battle for Gen Z's value crown

Among Gen Z adults in the UK, Aldi entered 2026 with a clear lead on value, posting a Value score of 57 on 1 January compared with Lidl's 52. Aldi's advantage widened over the following days, reaching its largest of the year on 7 January, when it scored 59 against Lidl's 52, a seven-point gap in net score.

As the year progressed, the gap narrowed and the lead changed hands several times. Lidl recorded its largest lead on 29 May, when it scored 58 compared with Aldi's 51, a seven-point advantage. That date also marked Aldi's lowest Value score of the year. Lidl reached its year-to-date high Value score of 59 on a few occasions, 21-3 April, 3 June and 9 June.

Aldi recovered through July, climbing to its year-to-date high Value score of 62 on 22 July before easing slightly towards the end of the month. By 31 July, Aldi held a two-point lead over Lidl, ending the period on 57 compared with 55. Lidl's lowest Value score of the year was 50, recorded on 6 January.

While Aldi ends July with a narrow lead among Gen Z, the year's repeated lead changes suggest value perceptions remain highly competitive between the two discounters.

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Methodology: 

YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Lidl and Aldi’s Value score is based on the question: Which of the following supermarkets do you think represents GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY? By that we don't mean "cheap," but that the brands offer a customer a lot in return for the price paid. / Now which of the following supermarkets do you think represents POOR VALUE FOR MONEY? By that, we don't mean "expensive," but that the brands do not offer a customer much in return for the price paid. Scores are reported as net scores from –100 to +100, based on daily surveys of UK adults. Data is weighted by age, gender, region, social grade, and ethnicity using a raking methodology. Figures are shown as an 8-week moving average between 1 January 2026 - 31 July 2026.

Image credit: Getty Images

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